[Insert Getting Back Into the Swing of Things Pun Here]

Hi everyone: (Anyone still there?)

It’s been around 2 months? 3? What can I say? Life happened. I took a management job at work right around the time of my trip to Tokyo, so hit the ground running as soon as I came back home. I did manage to squeeze out those “Guide” posts (heh, guideposts) and then just kind of got stuck on the last, say, 5% of my costume progress, which is to say a good method of attaching the eye frames/lenses to the mask. So, between being busy and not having much good progress to blog about, I set it all aside for a bit. (Albeit a longer bit than planned.)

I’ve done a little work on the frames lately, and I think I’m getting somewhere.

I’m still working from the common concept many Spider-Man cosplayers use for frames that can be attached and removed. Basically, you need some kind of base shell around the eyes under the Spidey mask with magnets on it, and then magnets on the back of the eye frames themselves, so that the frames can be attached separately, the magnets of the shell and the frame clinging to each other through the fabric of the mask.

You can purchase kits that include the shell and the frames and magnets and everything. You can also be a couple hundred (or more) dollars poorer after doing so. I’ll admit that in the midst of my efforts to do the frames “on the cheap” I have almost broken down and shelled out the money a couple of times, but I have already spent something like half a million dollars in my trial and error costume saga, so I am sticking to my guns on this part.

The Latest Eye Frame Plan: Attempt 1:

The ingredients:

• Cheap plastic Halloween eye mask
• Stronger magnets (stronger than previous attempts, that is)
• Super glue
• Permanent marker
• My existing eye frames/lenses

To see how I made the eye frames, you can start at this post. You might need to go a couple of posts back and forward from there to get all the details.

I’ve been pretty happy with the frames, but getting them attached, as I mentioned, has been the tricky part. After playing with some direct attachment ideas, I went back to the original face shell/magnet combo and started my experiment:

“Will this hide my identity? Is the second mask too much?”

 

These things are powerful!! Mask and magnets from Michael’s Arts & Crafts, BTW.

 

The pics should show the basic idea. Here a couple of things to note:

1. Get the neodymium magnets as opposed to magnet “tape” or similar. The magnet tape and other magnets intended for general use crafts might secure a feather to a fridge, but that’s about it. The neodymium are serious business. (Almost too serious as we’ll discuss in a sec.)
2. This mask worked okay, but not great. I did a little trimming on the forehead region, and widened the tiny eye holes, but…meh. It was good for experimenting, and the magnets are easily recoverable from the experiment, even after super-gluing.
3. The magnets only attract from specific sides (remember the whole + and – thing with magnetic poles from school?), but the sides are not marked. I found it useful to make tiny dots on the “attractive” sides with a permanent marker to make sure I glued them on with the proper sides facing out.
4. It turns out that in a contest of Neodymium magnet versus Super Glue, the magnets win in most cases. I think that this is at least partly due to the generally surfaces involved. Or maybe I don’t let it dry long enough. Either way, I did discover that–at least in early experiments–the magnets’ attraction doesn’t suffer greatly from being covered by a layer of duct tape–to help hold them on–after being glued. Gonna do some more experimentation with that.

So, anyway. Here is the result of my first experiment. You will notice some rather glaring flaws (I mean, aside from the weird shape of my head):

So, the under-mask/magnet thing worked fairly well, and I like the look of the frame and lens. But back when I cut the eye holes for the mask, I got a little carried away. Part of that hole is showing, obviously. I am hoping to solve that issue without sewing a new mask (I hope!). In addition, the under-mask I am using is not ideal. The edges show through clearly, but I don’t want to trim more at the top and top-sides as it is barely big enough for the eye frame corners to attach as it is.

Also, I really will need to shave my beard before ever actually wearing this thing for any events or gatherings or whatever. But that’s a whole other issue.

Getting Started on the Latest Eye Frame Plan: Attempt 2:

So, my genius plan for taking care of the overlarge eye hole: a bigger pair of eye frames.

I have stated before that I am generally not a fan of Spidey versions with huge eye frames. I like the smaller, somewhat more squinty/glaring style of Spidey eyes. But hey, I am nothing if not adaptable. Plus, I really don’t want to sew another mask for this costume version if I can help it!

So, I made some new eye frames:

And I have gotten started on what I hope is a better alternative for the under-mask as well.

But all of that is still somewhat in progress, so I will save it for next time. Which I hope is sooner than 2-3 months from now!

Next: Latest Eye Frame Attempt Part 2

Returning to the Quest with a Successful Failure

You ever hear that phrase, “Always go with your first instinct?” Well…I’ve disproved it many times in my life (most especially in my dating life (and let me clarify that I mean my past dating life, in case my girlfriend is reading this)), but in the case of this latest Spider-Shirt, it is actually true.

I had initially designed it to be a good few inches longer, but then something made me think it would be too long, so I shortened it. Guess what? It’s too short. By a few inches.

But even still, I am actually very pleased with the way it came out other than that detail. It was very easy and relatively quick to put together. I did it in just a few hours last night, including having to tear out and re-do one stitch.

Other than the length, the fit is good, it looks good, the neck is more than high enough to work with the mask, I like the design…

I will have to re-work the length in the design file and re-do the shirt, of course, but this is clearly the first costume design that is ultimately going to work out in the end. So I am okay with that.

Yeah, I am going to call this a successful experiment in that there is a clear path forward to what works.

And once I get the kinks worked out with this traditional design, I can apply it to the Ditko design with even greater confidence.

Oh yeah, by the way, I’m back from my Japan trip. Been back a few days and–let me tell you, jet lag is a real thing, especially coming from a 13 hour time difference. Not that I doubted the existence of jet lag. I have just been surprised at how hard it hits and how long it takes to recover.

Anyway, I am obviously getting back into the sewing groove, but there will likely be gaps in between posts as I wait for the parts of the costume to arrive. Theoretically, I will have some in-between stuff to work on.

Today…back to work for the first time in over a week. I’m mostly ready. It’s just that “jumping into a cold pool” kind of phenomenon; once I’ve gotten that jump over with, it’ll be good to be in the water.

See you soon, everyone.

Spidey Shirt Take 2: New & Marginally Improved

May I start out by saying that after all the patterning, measuring, tracing, cursing, cutting, assembling, cursing, pinning, basting, seaming, cursing, seam-ripping, cursing, re-seaming–and cursing, did I mention cursing?– that goes into a garment like this, I am just happy that it is in the shape of a shirt at all!

But really, I feel overall pretty good about this, whether or not I feel like it is a “final product.” Here are a few glamour shots of me wearing it so we can look at the pros and cons:

Front View:

Not too bad from this angle. Some mild pinching at the corners of the black, but much better than last time. Some puckering near the armpits. I got the high collar I wanted (it actually has excess height to trim!).

I really need to clean that mirror.

Angled 1:

Mismatch between the front and back black at the waist. Same for the sleeve meeting the torso, but it actually forms kind of a cool point, almost.

Angled 2:

Much better match between the front and back at the waist. Still not so great at the sleeve/torso, but not horrible. There’s a particularly rough puckered spot at the chest, where the black takes a corner that should have been a curve.

Arm Mismatch: Don’t know what the heck happened there. Sheesh.

Back view:

So close with matching the black from the sleeve to the top of the back. But the seams across the top of the back and down the sleeve are pretty smooth, eh?

Lessons Learned & How to Apply Them

Lesson 1: Pattern Making, Marking, and Matching

In the course of this shirt remake, I think I discovered that a lot of my biggest sewing challenges have to do with the pattern I am starting with and translating it to the fabric. Part of that is getting more experienced at just planning and implementation, but even beyond that, making a good pattern, and then marking the important spots and measurements and transferring those markings and guides to the fabric pieces for better matching.

Lesson 2: Checklists for the Basics

I’ve read that one of the greatest and most important advances in medicine–surgery in particular, I believe–was the introduction of checklists. Many disciplines use checklists. Pilots, for example, have a pre-flight checklist. I worked in a residential treatment facility for teens where we used checklists for our important daily tasks.

Checklists are a simple form of genius. They allow us to package careful and deliberate thinking at an ideal time when we can focus on the big picture and the details. We organize and record those thoughts when we are not right in the middle of a situation, using the knowledge of others in addition to our own experience (and mistakes) as a guide. And then, when we are the midst of the situation or activity, if we have a good checklist, the only thing we really have to remember is to look at the checklist!

I am really good at making stupid mistakes. Over and over. I am the “don’t let this happen to you” motivational example for why one should use checklists.

I was making Spidey Shirt 2.o, and it came time to baste and sew the first sleeve onto the torso. I carefully laid it out, pinned and baste-stitched. I examined my work, pleased with how I had distributed the fabric of each piece smoothly along the curve. And then I proceeded to tensely stitch the seam on the machine, again careful of the curve. I really wanted that curve to turn out well! I pulled the shirt off the machine and took a look. What a beautiful seam!

It was really too bad that I had sewed the sleeve on wrong side out. (Insert cursing here.)

Luckily, I was able to rip out the seam (that beautiful seam…) and redo it. But something like that wrong side out sleeve, and things like the mismatched black portions on the shirt…those kinds of things could have been avoided if I had double checked some pretty simple issues, and a checklist is probably my best bet for doing that, especially while I am still learning. There are just so many details to worry about, and while you’re worrying about details A and B, detail C is escaping your attention!

Lesson 3: Slow Down

I know it’s a mite cliche, but like checklists, there is a simple genius in just taking your time. And–also like checklists–this is a lesson that I very much need to apply. I get very–I guess driven is the word. And sometimes frustrated. And when I am driven or frustrated, I just want to gloss over, i.e. skip, important steps. or I just rush through something because it’s not my favorite part and I want to get to the good part.

The longer I sew (I mean, I’ve been doing it for, like, weeks now), the more I make myself slow down, partly because I am tired of seeing things turn out like crap because I got into a rush. But I also find that if I push, I don’t enjoy the activity as much, and if the point of all this time and investment in my Costume Quest isn’t enjoyment, then I’m not sure what the point is.

A big part of slowing down is taking breaks. Sometimes it’s just setting down the sewing project to go eat, or work out, or watch TV, or do neglected housework. And sometimes it’s going for an overnight trip for my girlfriend’s birthday. Which is what we are going to do later this morning.

I could probably take the sewing machine, but somehow I think that would be a bad idea, relationship-wise.

Up Next: First, the Beach! Then, applying recent lessons and experience to making a mask.

Pre-Visualizing Upcoming Tasks (because I can’t afford to do them for real yet)

Trash Talking My Sewing Projects as Path to Success 

I have written before about my almost entirely stubbornness-based personality. I even tried to make the case that I can use my stubbornness in place of patience. I think this is true in a manner of speaking, but a more accurate way to put it might be that I use my stubbornness as persistence, which is a little different.

The reason I am splitting hairs here is that there is an aspect of patience that I definitely lack, and that I am always trying to get a hold on both in my work projects–which involve web design and web programming–and my home projects, which, of course, have involved a lot of sewing lately.

Persistence is important. I mean, persistence as in the “try, try again,” “get back up on that horse,” “practice makes perfect,”, etc. kind of thing. When you’re trying anything new or different, you won’t get very far if you give up at the first sign of difficulty, if you don’t do it perfectly right away.

That is where my stubbornness/persistence serves me well. I take it as a personal affront when I run into obstacles, when I can’t get something right. “Oh yeah, sewing project? That’s how it is, huh? I don’t think so. It’s on, baby.” (I don’t literally trash talk my sewing projects. Well…maybe a little bit. But it’s best that I restrict my trash talk to inanimate objects and concepts, since I am not very good at it.)

But  my stubbornness can also do me a disservice, can fail to substitute properly for patience.

There’s another kind of patience, perhaps a purer blend. I think it is aptly summed up in a phrase that feels tailor-made for sewing (See what I did there? Ha.): “Measure twice, cut once.”

The problem with my dogged persistence is that it is not easily balanced by patient preparation. I usually start out pretty eager and bold when it comes to starting something new, like sewing, and after what is clearly not enough preparation, I dive right in. I do spot research here and there, especially at the beginning, but as time goes by, and I run into trouble, I become more and more likely to take a “beat my head against the wall,” “do the same thing over and over again expecting different results” approach.

Source: http://sd.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/i/keep-calm-and-bang-your-head-against-the-wall.png

I can freely admit that this ill-advised manner of doing things is the dark side of stubbornness, an odd permutation of the stereotypical “man won’t stop and ask for directions” gene. (It is a stereotype, but it sums me up pretty well, and doesn’t go well with my horrible sense of direction. Thank goodness I have my GF around to enable me by always knowing which way to go, and my GPS when she’s not around.)

But the thing is, I can’t afford to take that approach with sewing for too long. And when I say that I “can’t afford it,” I mean that literally. Fabric and thread cost money! And Lycra Spandex is among the more expensive fabrics, in addition to being unique enough in nature that I can’t get the practice I need with stuff from the discount table. I can only afford so many “practice mistakes.”

Upping the Ante

As I mentioned in my previous post, I have begun the ordering process for the professionally screen printed costume fabric. By sometime around the end of the month, I will receive in the mail a 58″ X 85″ (ish) hunk o’ 4 way stretch Lycra Spandex with my Ditko Spidey costume design printed on it. Non-returnable even at that point, much less after I start cutting into it.

I will need to cut out the pieces–main body/front of mask, sides of neck/mask, arms, palms, thumbs–and sew it all together into a single bodysuit with invisible zippers on the back of the neck (for being able to pull the hood forward off my head) along the sides of the torso and the bottom of the back of the “belt.” And possibly invisible zippers on the undersides of the wrists as well, so I can free my hands when needed.

I cannot afford to make any mistakes (well, any that I can’t undo with a seam ripper).

Enforced Patience

When I bought my first car years ago, I had the most powerful tool in my pocket that I could have: a lack of funds. I was willing to walk away from the initial deals offered by the good cop/bad cop team of salesman and mysterious back office manager because I literally and truly could not afford more than a certain amount.

I am similarly being forced to be patient–to not dive in head-first–at this juncture in my Costume Quest. I can’t really even do hands-on practice a the moment. I will be returning my borrowed machine soon, and really need to do my practice on the new machine anyway, which my GF and I cannot afford to get until the second half of the month.

And, of course, the ordering and processing of the pro printed costume fabric is taking long enough that I will have to wait to jump into that for a week or two after getting the new machine.

This was supposed to be about a work payday, but then I saw this. Mmm. Payday. I used to love these…

So, what I’m saying is, thank goodness for enforced waiting, for time on my hands in which I am being forced to not only practice while I wait, but wait before I practice.

Why is that a good thing? Because this is forcing me to do the sort of preparation that I am horrible at unless forced. I need to research, to read about invisible zippers and watch videos of people doing them, view tutorials, figure out what the likely mistakes and missteps are so that I can avoid them. I need to get back to the basics of measuring and cutting and pinning and basting.

Those are the things I am horrible at doing while I am in the thick of a project. If I had everything on hand right now–suit fabric, new machine, invisible zippers, time (almost as rare a commodity as money sometimes!)–there’s a really good chance I would spend 5 or 10 minutes preparing before diving right in and regretting it within half an hour.

So, bring on the delays! They will do me a world of good!

The Practice of Waiting to Practice Begins

I have already reviewed a couple of tutorials on Invisible Zippers. They are by the same person/site, but one is a video and one is a picture/text tutorial, both by Coletterie. And I already understand way more than I did about invisible zippers! (A good sign. If you ever understand less about something after a tutorial, it probably wasn’t a good tutorial. )

In conclusion: I like to think that I am capable of being very patient when I have absolutely no other choice.

Next: You’ll have to be patient to find out (which is just me trying to cleverly (and thematically) cover up the fact that I don’t know what’s next).

 

Back to the Costume: Affording Obsessions & Practicing While Waiting

All right. I’ve been waxing random for a few posts while getting some balls rolling with the costume, but there are at least a few semi-interesting tidbits to report.

Swords Into Plowshares–or at least Tablets into Sewing Machines (That’s pretty much the same thing, right?)

Fun fact: sewing machines aren’t free.

For those who missed this particular fact: What sewing I’ve done on this project up to now has been done on a borrowed sewing machine. The co-worker/friend who lent it to me is awesome (and not just because she made possible a long-term loan on a sewing machine), but the machine is one her mom uses when visiting, and the next visit is coming up in August, so it is about time to move on.

This is kind of exciting, though, because the machine is a pretty basic one, and I have been making both mental and actual lists of the features I will be excited to have on a new machine, including lots of pre-programmed stitches (including a proper stretch stitch!), multiple presser feet (including ones that make sewing slippery fabrics like spandex easier), and easier handling and monitoring of that darn bobbin (on the current machine, I know it’s about to run out at the exact moment that it runs out, which I guess means I have no idea when it’s about to run out).

The Proposed New Machine: very button-y

But the hesitation in getting a machine is–well as I said above: they cost money. So I did something I wouldn’t have imagined I would ever do just a few months ago: I sold my Android tablet for money toward a sewing machine.

It also helps that my GF has thought about getting a machine as well, so we’re going halfsies on it in the second half of this month.

I’m pretty excited. Another thing I wouldn’t have believed just a few months ago, i.e. that I could be excited about a sewing machine.

The Coming of the Costume 

I’ve begun another step: the ordering of the Ditko Costume Design Fabric Printing.

I say “begun,” because it will take 10+ days for processing and shipping, with a few days ahead of that for me to receive and approve a printed swatch sample (which just seems like a good idea before I finalize the un-returnable purchase of the final printing!).

I decided to go with the all-in-one bodysuit style the template is designed for. Even though in comparative terms, getting the fabric professionally printed is not a bad deal, it is not an insignificant enough cost that I am willing to risk an untested sewing pattern.

And I just couldn’t resist going with the Ditko design for the first pro printing. I am really curious to see how it turns out.

I am still toying with other ways to do a totally DIY-at-home costume, but more on that later.

Making the Most of the Wait

So, between waiting to get the sewing machine in the second half of the month, and waiting for the completion of the ordering and processing of the pro printed fabric, I’ve got some time on my hands. But it’s a good thing. I’ve got plenty of practicing and preparation to do before I’m ready to start cutting, assembling, and sewing that pro printed fabric.

Work Space

I’ve started with readying my workspace. I rearranged my office–including swapping desks with my daughter–so that I can stop taking up the living room floor and our dining table when I’m sewing.

My daughter always liked my desk (now hers), with its shelves and drawers and cabinets, and her desk (now mine) boasts a larger, flat surface that will accommodate the sewing machine.

The office (also a guest room) has a futon that I can flatten out to get a large space for laying out and working with fabric. It’s at least a little higher than the floor.

Ideally, I need to get maybe some kind of large but lightweight piece of wood paneling to lay out so I have a flatter, firmer surface. But, baby steps.

Below is…not my work space. But isn’t it lovely? Someday…

Pictured: NOT my sewing workspace. {sigh…} Source: https://elishevashoshana.files.wordpress.com

Supplies

I could use a mannequin-head type thing for working with the mask.

Great for making Spidey masks and for doing pranks!

I’ll also need plenty of good thread in the right colors, so I don’t have to make lots of trips in the middle of the whole process of assembling and sewing.

I could use more pins/a better pin container (the pin cushion can be a bit annoying when limited to one hand I think).

Invisible zippers.

Eventually: I need to choose some materials for making the eye frames/lenses and soles for the “boots.”

Practice

I could use as much general practice as possible on less risky/cheaper stuff before digging into the pro-printed fabric, but I really need to put in some time sewing invisible zippers. Especially considering I’ve only ever sewn one zipper ever, and it wasn’t an invisible zipper. But it turned out okay, actually. And I didn’t even use a zipper foot.

Zipper? I don’t see any zipper here… Source: http://media.coletterie.com

It would also be nice to do some of that practice on the new machine. It looks like it will arrive a good week or more ahead of the pro printed fabric, the way things are going, so that should give me a chance to familiarize myself with the new machine.

And I should think it will be easier rather than harder to use. As grateful as I am to have had the loaner, it is very basic, with few bells and whistles, so I should think I’ll be delighted with the new one. But then, there’s always that “Ugh. This is different.” factor.

So…as much Patience as Progress at the moment, but hey, Onward & Upward, as they say. (Someone says that, right?)

Up Next: Practice Project Progress